Shake Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins Review: Continuing to explore Filipino folklore and supernatural horror, Shake Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins brings three different tales of horror and connects them through 1775, 2025 and 2050. Instead of being standalone tales, it explores how evil evolves over the years and throughout generations, giving this venture a stronger sense of continuity.
This decades-long franchise boldly explores new territory and takes a significant leap in storytelling, expanding its universe to encompass fresh, exciting situations. While the execution isn’t consistent throughout, it’s entertaining, and the overarching narrative makes things stand out.
The Filipino horror film stars Richard Gutierrez, Ivana Alawi, Carla Abellana, Janice de Belen, Manilyn Reynes, Loisa Andalio, Francine Diaz, Seth Fedelin, Fyang Smith, JM Ibarra, Dustin Yu, Isabel Ortega, and Ashley Ortega, and is directed by Shugo Praico, Joey de Guzman, and Ian Lorenos.
Shake Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins Review
A Bold New Structure Keeps the Franchise Feeling Fresh
There are three segments in Shake Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins; the first segment is 1775, that features a bunch of nuns being tormented and lured by an evil that has recently escaped and aims to kill them one by one to gain back strength, the second segment, 2025, is a fast-paced slasher that doesn’t waste time to drop the bodies and, as the techno beats give it life, those left behind try to find a way to live. Lastly, we have 2050, an action thriller set in a post-apocalyptic Manila run by monsters. The three segments are connected by the evil that is unleashed in the first story, and we see it transform throughout the runtime.
Rather than ending the story within a strict timeframe, the film does a great job of continuing the story of the evil through generations. Although most things are obvious and sometimes even blatantly copied from other horror films, the film keeps a tight grip on the continuation and the thrill, thanks mostly to a fantastic middle segment. Plus, there seems to be a better purpose with the horror thanks to the continuation, rather than just being a film about jump scares.
The 2025 Chapter Steals the Show
As mentioned previously, 2025 is the best part about this film. Let’s be real, the film, overall, is extremely repetitive and 1775 and 2050 have nothing new to offer. However, the cramped location of the disco, the pulsing lights and the focus on being a slasher make 2025 quite a fun watch. With blood and guts spilling out, there’s plenty of thrills in that department, and it will make viewers realise that this film, in general, works best as a slasher. The performances in that segment are great as well, and most of the jokes land well.
However, there’s not much I can say about the other two segments. 2050 is the weakest link as it showcases an odd zombie apocalypse, just that these aren’t zombies. Most of the runtime is spent doing nothing, and the action takes place only towards the end. The action isn’t that great either, and there’s nothing that makes it stand out. 1775 at least has Malum’s origin story, so that’s what makes it stand out, but then, too, it’s quite repetitive.
Evil originating from a remote church and whatnot has been done to death (see: The Nun, another abomination), and so there’s nothing that separates this segment either. The film works well when it’s completely unserious and fast-paced and, thus, 2025 wins in that regard.
Production Values Reach New Heights
Shake Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins does a good job of painting a vivid picture of the vastly different settings in which the three stories are based. 1775 and 2025, especially, are quite well done, and the expansive sets of post-apocalyptic Manila are presented well too. From colonial setting to dystopian future, all of it is done well. I think the most disappointing part, however, was the CGI and the blood gushing out, especially in 2050, which are hilariously terrible. Credit, however, to the makeup department and the practical effects – they do a great job of bringing the horror to screen.
Strong Ideas, Less Convincing Payoffs
The screenplay struggles to match the scale of the concept in this Filipino horror film, wherein certain characters and segments are extremely rushed, resulting in no payoff. The mythology connecting the timelines and the origin of the cult could’ve been explored more for better understanding as well. While the ending completes the journey, the story arc doesn’t do justice to Malum’s character and how evil it’s supposed to be. The last segment, especially, is extremely rushed and doesn’t answer all the questions that viewers might have.
Final Verdict
Shake Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins is a fun watch if you keep your expectations low. Its ambitious story doesn’t translate that well to screen sometimes, especially when it doesn’t break down several questions that it raises. However, it’s definitely engaging for the most part and makes for a great time with friends. Overall, the engaging central concept and excellent middle chapter make up for an uneven narrative well.
Shake Rattle & Roll: Evil Origins is streaming on Netflix right now in select regions. What are your thoughts on the film? Let us know in the comments below!
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